Something Lost
by scarletrose92
Summary: Sasuke was abducted by Orochimaru as a child, and has no memory of his identity or family.  Years later, Naruto finds him and tries to persuade him to come home as Sasuke slowly recovers his lost identity.   AU.  NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

Something Lost

xXx

Sasuke's POV

We were a freak show, essentially. A collection of misfit characters who had no business knowing each other, caged in by four walls and a roof. The barriers of this building acted not as a device of protection, but rather, a contraption used to separate those inside, from freedom beyond the walls. An asylum to keep us in, if you will. We each lived solitarily, but never alone. Fear drove us apart, choosing to let innocent others wrongly take beatings, rather than unite and rebel. Life was a game. A survival of the fittest. Those with the cleverest tongues and lowest morals were most likely to persist.

Our ringmaster was, of course Him, who would at no point hesitate to pit two of us together in a scrap to the death. Like raging bull dogs. The tile was composed from eggshells, and the walls had keen ears, knowledgeable to the slightest whisper of uprising. No one spoke. I would never know the eye colors of those who I'd lived with as long as I could remember.

I, however, was fortunate. I was his "pet" of sorts. Allowed semi-free range of the hunting grounds behind the manor, a privilege tasted by so few. In return, I was His trophy. An object of unwanted caresses and lurid innuendos. I lived in fear when the time would come for Him to come and take me.

Around October of my seventeenth year, a shift in the currents occurred to me, a vague sense of approaching disaster that had my senses horrifyingly alert.

I was out in the fields one afternoon, watching the crows make nest in the changing leaves of autumn. It was warm with a choppy breeze, the rims of the sky encircled by dark impending storm clouds. I was chewing on a long straw of wheat absentmindedly, watching the shadows elongated before the golden sunset. Just as the first stars unveiled themselves in the lavender sky, I pulled myself up to trek back to the manor. I walked briskly; if I was late, I would be punished. Just before a reaching the back door, I took in long, steady gulps of fresh air. I never knew when he would let me out again. I spat the straw out and attempted to wipe dirt and leaves from my feet and knees before entering.

I ate dinner with Him that night. It was tasteless and bland as always, but only because the entirety of my attention was focused on his every breath and movement. Every time he shifted in his chair, lifted the fork to his mouth, cleared his throat to speak, a flood of fear would overtake my being. Meals had become a battle within me- steady my fear and wait it out in silent, raging insanity, or succumb to violent panic.

He was wiping his mouth with his napkin now. Setting it down and pushing back his chair, he approached me. My body began to shake sporadically. The muscles in my legs twitched, telling me to rise and flee. I funneled my mind in, concentrating on even inhales and exhales. My heart was pumping so loudly, so hard, I thought it was going to come out my throat.

He stopped directly behind my chair. His hands came up to pet my hair, and I lurched forward slightly, gagging. He twirled my hair around his fingers gently, lowering his hand to stroke my right ear. He whispered something vial in his loathsome raspy voice. I couldn't place it over the sound of my heart. His fingers trailed down, toying with the collar of my shirt, then slipping underneath. The feeling of his cold thin digits against my chest awoke a sudden primal fear in me. I jerked back fiercely and stood, my feet in mid- flight to run. I couldn't. I was held in place by his hand harshly gripping my arm.

He grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at his face. It was then that all the fight left my body. I could feel tears prickle the corners of my eyes. He hit me once, hard, across the face. I slumped to the ground holding my left cheek. There were spots in my vision and a metallic taste in my mouth. There was a struggle. He was on top of me. It was surreal and nightmarish. My clothes were torn off and the room was spinning. Somehow He came to be inside me, pushing forcibly. I stared up at the ceiling, blurry through tears, as it moved back and forth. Acute, unbearable pain twisted up my spine repeatedly. I could hardly breath. A while later he finished and all was still and silent. He left me there.

A few weeks later, He let me out again, but only after forcing me to beg. I wandered around the grounds absentmindedly, gazing at the murders of crows as they flocked above in the skies. They were so free. The thought made my heart ache and long. My body was tired, aching, bruised, trapped.

I stayed out until the sun disappeared behind the mountain's silhouette. I started back reluctantly. At once a dark cloud cast a shadow upon the manor, chilling the air. I entered the house. It was quiet.

This was my first and only memory of complete silence through out the manor. No screams, no whispers. In the absence of sound waves, the air was stagnant, rotting. Something was very, very wrong. I ventured cautiously towards the hall. Peering around the corner, the normally immaculate meeting room was in utter disarray. Chairs were tipped over, glasses broken, pictures fallen from the walls.

My body stilled as I immediately suspected intruders. Where was everyone? Where was He? It was still eerily silent. I pressed back into the shadows on the walls. Small glittering specks on the tile caught my attention.

Marked from it's conception in the study, scattered shards of mirror and whiskey bottle, accompanied with droplets of amber bourbon and crimson blood, littered a path that I presumed to indicate His whereabouts. I followed the ominous trail. The hallways were looming and predatory. I rounded the corner that opened into the main corridor of the house. The enormous front doors were flung wide open, the right door off its hinge completely. Brown leaves decorated the tile, as a strong, cold wind pushed more through the open doorway.

Immediately aware of a presence hanging above my head, I glanced upwards.

There was a rope around His neck, fastened to the chandelier on the ceiling. His head was tilted lazily to one side, with a thin string of saliva trickling from his lips, as his feet dangled high above the floor. Instead of a frantic panic, a cold horror enveloped my body. I ascended the curved staircase overlooking a section of the house that offered a spectacular view of the chandelier.

The tinkering crystals swayed gently, an indication that his body had stopped swinging only a short time ago. The glass droplets were contrastingly vibrant to his dull, cloudy eyes, filmy and wide open. I could no longer determine their color. Upon closer inspection, I observed that the thick cord sustaining his body in the air, was much like the those straps that rested upon each of our beds, used to belt down the strong willed.

Who could have guessed that the circus would end such as this? With it's ringmaster displayed listlessly overhanging the manor, a sort of last act, conceived in it's own sick amusement. Had the others risen up against him and done this? For they were surely gone now. They had probably fled out the front door the moment his neck snapped.

A growing frenzy stirred up inside me. Not of fear nor happiness nor relief. It was a desperate need to leave the house as soon as possible, to be free with the others. To adventure into the unknown.

I sprinted to my room and grabbed what meager clothes I had been given, stuffing them into a bag. Grabbing a few coins I had managed to pilfer from Him, along with a few other treasures I had collected over the years- my name written down on a slip of paper from when I still remembered it, a small ratty stitched doll that had been a goodbye present from Karin, and silver locket- locked -that I had had as long as I could remember.

Out the doorway I fled, my heart pounding with overwhelming hope and excitement. I knew nothing of where the nearest town, road, anything would be, so I picked a direction and ran long into the night.

xXx

Hey! So this chapter is in first person and really dark- the rest of the story will not be so heavy- but I feel like its important for this story to set up Sasuke's confinement before anything else.

Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

~Four Years Earlier~

The day after Naruto's eleventh birthday, Sasuke vanished without a trace. It had started out typically enough- clear skies, a nice breeze, and the discordant melodies of Naruto and Sasuke arguing, with Sakura screaming at random intervals for the two to shut up. As the trio journeyed onwards towards the academy, Naruto loudly recalled every birthday gift he had received the previous day, taunting Sasuke with his new Super Blaster watergun, equipped with sound effects and a refillable ice cube "amo" tray. The brunet turned his cheek stubbornly and muttered words about "childish playthings."

Classes, recess, and lunch passed by with minimal chaos, as Naruto quickly tired of failing to bait Sasuke. The warning bell rang, and students filed out of the cafeteria. Shuffling down the hall towards the science wing, a sudden, cold shudder swept down Naruto's spine. He peered around suspiciously, receiving a concerned look from Sakura. Naruto huffed and rolled his eyes, but glanced quickly at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye.

Sasuke strode calmly beside the windows, the golden afternoon light catching the dust and highlighting the unique tint of his black hair, the curve of his jaw, and height of his cheekbones, the dark eyelashes, framing inky eyes.

At once, a strange panic bubbled up within the blond as he watched his best friend. Like some sort of powerful deja vu that darkened his vision and elongated and tilted the hallway at the most peculiar downwards angle. He felt cold and frenzied, like drowning, and the blond had the oddest urge to grab his friend's hand and take off back down the hall. But the feeling dissipated a split second later, when Naruto realized he had forgotten his workbook in the lunch room.

This was the memory Naruto would obsess over in the years to come. He would associate this particular image with the name "Sasuke," and spend endless nights searching and repeating this scene in the mind's eye. It would haunt his dreams, always lying dormant in his subconscious and spring itself upon Naruto at unforeseen moments.

The three entered the classroom tardy, and covertly took up seats in the back lab tables where they could whisper without being noticed. Professor Orochimaru emerged from the supply closet smoothly with a selection of jarred specimens, which he set down carefully before scanning the room. He eyed the trio in the back and licked his lips noisily. The three shivered and Sasuke faked a gag when the professor turned back to the chalk board.

About half way through the lab, Naruto lost interest and created a game called 'trying to distract Sakura and Sasuke while they hold dangerous chemicals.' Sasuke was carefully transferring liquid into a test tube when Naruto tripped over a microscope extension cord and crashed into his best friend. The test tube went flying, shattering and sending glass fragments across the linoleum tile. The class fell silence as Orochimaru snapped around and glared snake-like at the trio.

Sasuke knelt down to carefully sweep up the pieces with his fingers, when a looming shadow fell across him. He looked up fearfully. There was a certain sick excitement twisted into Orochimaru's features as he whispered, "Detention," down at the brunet. The black-haired boy deflated visibly as the professor retreated back to his desk, and his friends worked silently to help Sasuke clean the mess.

After the final bell, Sakura and Naruto departed from school without Sasuke, who had promised to meet them back at their treehouse as soon as his detention was through.

The duo sat comfortably in their treehouse, finishing their homework and snacking on packaged crackers and juice. The day weaned and the sun began to lower behind the mountains. Seven o'clock came, and the two waited fruitlessly for their third musketeer to return. Eight o'clock. Night descended. Nine o'clock. When ten came and passed, the two decided to head home, cursing Sasuke's name for forgetting their rendezvous.

The next morning, Naruto and Sakura rounded the corner that led into Sasuke's wealthy neighborhood, ready to gather him up and walk to school. They hiked up the Uchiha's long driveway, coming to a sudden stop at the barrage of police vehicles. Sasuke's parents stood bewildered on the doorstep, Mikoto crying into her husband's shoulder. Itachi sat in a shocked stupor on the grass. The house and front yard were swarming with officers taking notes, questioning neighbors, and radioing out instructions. Turns out Sasuke was missing. And so was Orochimaru.

xXx

~Five Years Later~

Naruto whooped loudly and wiped his sweaty forehead with his jersey sleeve. He high-fived several of his team mates as they congregated around the coach, who discussed their next away game the following day, and then dismissed them to the locker room. The afternoon sun was golden and blazing, and Naruto retrieved the muddy soccer ball and headed for the showers. He joked lightly with his comrades as they swapped vulgar stories and lewd jokes.

After a long shower, Naruto drove to Hinata's house. She greeted him at the front door with an unusually passionate kiss, revealing to him that her parents were gone for the night. A while later, Naruto awoke in her bed. He dressed quietly, to keep from waking her, placed a chaste kiss on her slender neck, and whispered goodbye as he left the room.

His parents were asleep when he arrived home, and Naruto showered quietly and settled into his bed after packing his bag for the next day's game. In the morning he ate a quick breakfast and kissed both his parents, promising to call them as soon as his game was over.

He boarded the bus shortly after lunch, he and his teammates bubbling with the spirit of competition and lewd jokes. The sun emerged from the behind the clouds, warming the bus with golden afternoon light, and Naruto drifted to sleep as the bus road on to some nameless town.

xXx

Hadley's Bits and Bobs was a small, peculiar thrift store hidden away on the outer fringes of town, facing the river. It was often the donation site of the estates of the recently deceased, and had therefore acquired a number of unusual objects in its wake, such as the late Mrs. Shizune's collection of porcelain figures from Mongolia, and Mr. Asuma's spectacular display of birdcages. The shop held a large assortment of odds and ends- vinyl LPs, ratty paperbacks, broken toys, dusty clothes, costume jewelry, bits of lace and fur. Sasuke worked at the shop from nine to six on weekdays. The place was relatively quiet, interrupted only by the puttering elderly who stopped by frequently to riffle through the old victrola jazz records.

At his position behind the register, Sasuke scanned an old hardcover that had come in earlier this week. The bindings were falling apart and there was a dark water stain in the upper right corner. The writings were complex, almost incomprehensible. He swiveled listlessly in the rickety chair with his feet propped on the counter.

The teen drummed his finger on the page distractedly and glanced out the windows. Opposite the road, a small portion of the river was visible, clear and blue. The banks were lined with mossy rocks and the sort of thick patches of trees that thrive only along the riverside. Sasuke inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. The shop smelled of musk and gothic incense. Lazy swing music flowed softly from two stereos in the back. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around the dim room tiredly. As always, the stuffed raven on the far cabinet stared back with black glassy eyes, slightly chipped.

The door chime alerted Sasuke to a customer. It was old Mrs. Nekoba who came in nearly everyday after her shift at the city library. She smiled fondly at the boy, and made her way to the bookshelves. Sasuke removed his feet from the counter folded them up Indian style on the swivel chair, book perched between his thighs.

"How's it going, Mrs. Nekoba?" he called over nonchalantly.

"Oh fine, dear," she responded kindly while hunched over by the paperbacks. "You're doing well too, I hope?"

"Same old," the teen replied indifferently.

"That's very nice," she remarked in her usual manner.

The woman's small figure traveled towards the counter slowly. She deposited her purchases by the register- two old romance paperbacks priced at sixty cents each. The till chimed loudly as Sasuke handed her the change. She turned and wagged a bony finger at the teen.

"You keep warm now. It's chilly outside, you know. Kids these days just run around with nothing on! My word…"

The teen heeded her warning with a brisk nod and half-smile.

When his shift was over, he locked up the store and journeyed towards his apartment on the west side of town. He passed by the high school, where a rowdy busload of soccer players from another school was filing out onto the grass field. They laughed obnoxiously loudly, shoving each other, cheering. Sasuke swallowed back intense longing and envy, watching teens his own age

maneuvering through a scene of such normality with such familiarity.

As Sasuke continued along the iron wrought fence, the visiting team slowly began to warm up. A swarm of teenage boys passed by him as they jogged about the field. Sasuke watched their faces rush by him, all red and panting. He did a sudden double take before he could even realize what he was doing, and then clutched his head when a lightening quick, but piercing pain seemed to shoot through his temples. He had a horrible nagging feeling somewhere in the back of his mind, and briefly wondered if he had forgot to lock up the shop. No that wasn't it...

The team circled back around, and Sasuke's pulse began to quicken irrationally. He scanned the faces again as they came by the fence- there! Sasuke thought his heart had stopped in his chest. A boy, his age about, with blond hair, blue eyes, and the most unusual scars across his cheeks. The face was unrecognizable, but those eyes... he had seen that color somewhere before...so long ago maybe, maybe even before Him. Time seemed to slow as the players passed by, and Sasuke desperately tried to keep his sight trained on those eyes.

At once, those eyes that he sought out so frantically snapped their gaze to Sasuke... and stopped. The rest of the team continued on obliviously, leaving only the blond standing frozen it its wake. The blond teen stared wide eyed and unblinking at Sasuke, with an expression of horrific disbelief, and began to approach the fence as if in a trance. All sound seemed to become a loud, rushing, roar, above which Sasuke could only hear his own heartbeat. The black-haired boy instinctively stepped back from the fence, the nagging feeling in his head so strong it was making him dizzy. The blond boy continued foward, and Sasuke felt that his world had become a sickening tilt-o-whirl. He could hardly sense anything other than the rush in his ears, the faintness of his head, the blueness of those eyes. Abruptly, and with supreme effort, Sasuke tore himself from the spot and fled from the field, his feet taking him faster than he could ever remember. Behind him he heard the boy's shouts of "Hey!" and "Wait!" but Sasuke didn't halt until the school was well out of sight, and he could see the edge of his apartment around the next street corner.

His apartment complex more closely resembled ancient ruins than a structurally sound building. Built sometime in the previous century, the victorian complex was probably scheduled for demolition in the near future- three or four years maximum. In the meantime, Sasuke resided in 7B, which was situated between a daft old necromancer in 7A, who held nightly seances, and an effeminate middle aged man who claimed to have been a back-up dancer for Madonna in her early years.

Sasuke fumbled with his keys, dropping them several time from his shaky hands, before successfully entering the apartment. Dropping his jacket and keys carelessly on the ground, he dizzily approached the bed. Falling face first, Sasuke plummeted into restless sleep.

xXx

Contact has been made, aha.

Hey! So, yes I know some parts of this are super AU, buuut I had a really good idea for a plot and now I'm running with it. Please review and tell me what you think!


End file.
